


Batman: Drabbles of the Dark Knight

by DreadPirateRocky



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Justice League of America (Comics)
Genre: Bat Family, Batcave, Blüdhaven, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Canon-Typical Violence, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Explicit Language, Gen, Gotham City - Freeform, Interrogation, Interviews, Metropolis, Mystery, No Sex, No Slash, No Smut, Not Bat-Porn, Organized Crime, Vigilantism, Vignette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6655474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadPirateRocky/pseuds/DreadPirateRocky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gotham City is home to some of the most vicious predators alive, but there's something lurking in the alleys that fills even their black hearts with terror. For years, he has carried out his mission through the city's underbelly, never relenting. He won't kill you, and he won't shoot you, but you'll never see him coming, and he'll never stop. He is vengeance given form, a nightmare let loose on crime.</p><p>He's the Batman, and he has work to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The following is an on-going series of vignettes featuring the Bat-Family and, by extension, the Justice League and other parts of the DC Universe. I try to keep the characters as close to the source material as possible. There won't really be any romance arcs, no shipping with Wonder Woman or Superman, and no all-Robin gangbangs - just good old-fashioned vigilante justice.
> 
> Enjoy.

“Where is it!?!" Pain ripped through Vinnie's chest; he could hear the ribs snap as he slammed against the brick wall. He'd heard stories about the Batman, of course - everyone has - but seeing him up close taught Vinnie that the stories were wrong.

He was so much worse.

"I don't know, man! Please!" Batman yanked him off the ground by the throat, and Vinnie stared six stories down at the street below. It was all he could do not to piss his pants. "Shit! Oh, geez, man... please, I don't know anything, I swear to God! Who am I, the Penguin?" The growl that came from under that cowl was like something out of a nightmare. It wasn't very loud, but it still made his bones grate together.

"No, Vinnie. You're not the Penguin. He knows better than to lie to me." Vinnie barely saw the fist move to strike, but a booming voice stopped it dead.

"Batman!" Once Vinnie worked up the courage to open his eyes, what he saw froze him to his core. What he felt wasn't fear of the Batman; it was the thing he saw in his Nana's face every Sunday at church. It was awe. You could feel his power pulse through the air. Earth's White Knight. The Lonely God.

The Superman.

When he spoke, he spoke with authority, but there was a gentleness to it that was undeniably sincere. "We've talked about this. You can't just go around beating information out of people. You're in the Justice League now, and like it or not..."

"I don't go to Metropolis and tell you how to pull cats out of trees. Don't tell me how to run my operation." He stared dead into Vinnie's eyes before he continued, making it clear that he was speaking to both of them. "Gotham is mine." Superman touched down and addressed Vinnie directly.

"Look, son, it'll save us all a lot of headache if you just cooperate. Tell him what he wants to know, and I can fly you straight to the nearest hospital." He turned to Batman. "What's closer? Gotham General?"

"West Mercy." The fist around his throat began to squeeze.

"Hey, man, all I know is Joey D asks me to drop off a package in the Narrows, right? Make a cool g. It's heavy as shit, but I don't ask questions, I just do it! That's everything, I swear!" Tears were pouring down Vinnie's face now. Batman stared at him for a long time, the white slits of his eyes betraying nothing.

"You're going to tell Joey D from me that he's done working the Narrows. You're going to tell him that if I see even one of his goons skulking around down there, I'm coming after him." Vinnie nodded before being slammed down onto the roof. He immediately broke into a full sprint, ignoring his broken ribs. Anything to get away from that psycho! Suddenly, his body was wrapped gently in concrete and Gotham City peeled out from beneath him. Wind whipped his face and moisture seeped through the front of his pants as the massive blue arms cradled him.

"I said I'd give you a lift, didn't I?"

 

****************

 

“Will you be staying in tonight, Master Bruce, or shall I prepare your evening wear?" Alfred's sarcasm echoed through the cave, mingling with the sounds of typing and bats chittering overhead. He approached the massive console and perused the screens. "Trouble in the Narrows again, sir?"

"Some of the gangs have been running black market tech through here recently. Serious tech. Not their usual M.O. Something's up.”

"No luck finding the supplier, then?"

"It's not the supplier I'm worried about. These guys run guns and drugs, but nothing this high-end. Doesn't add up. The question is: where is this stuff going, and why?” He rose from his chair, still deep in thought. "I need more information. Get the car ready, Alfred."

"Very good, sir. Shall I alert Master Damian, as well? I believe he's still in the library..."

"No. This shouldn't take long." He walked toward the vault that contained his uniform and grabbed his utility belt from a nearby table. "Doesn't add up. I need more information." He was talking to himself now more than anything. As Alfred made his way upstairs, Batman's words followed him. "I need a snitch." Alfred muttered to himself.

"Heaven help that poor soul."

 

****************

 

"Hurry up! We were supposed to be outta here ten minutes ago." The three men strained as they lifted the crate onto the truck.

"These things weigh a friggin' ton! My back..."

"...is the last thing you're gonna be bitching about if we're late with this shipment, Nancy. Now, hike up your dress and keep moving." Suddenly, the crate lurched as one of the men hit the ground, screaming. The other two struggled to keep the box from crashing onto the concrete.

"Careful, you idiot! You know what'll happen if we drop one of these things? What's the matter with you?"

"Aahhh!!! My hand!" He looked down, and what he saw made his eyes widen and bowels loosen; a jagged piece of metal was sticking straight through the man's palm.

"Oh, sh..." Before he could even get the swear out, a massive form filled the sky above him. He felt the boot crush his nose and the crate slam down onto his leg. He knew instantly that it was broken. A single gunshot and a few muffled thuds later, both of his accomplices were sprawled out, unconscious. The tears and blood clouded his vision, but he knew without looking who loomed over him.

"I'm only going to ask you once." The voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but malice dripped from his words. "Where is the shipment going?" Batman ripped the lid off of the crate, and rummaged through its contents.

"They'll kill me... I talk, and I'm a dead man." Batman leaned hard on the crate, shifting the huge weight back and forth across his shattered leg. The pain was so intense, he thought he would pass out. His screams filled the empty lot.

"Are you scared to die? You don't tell me what I want to know..." Batman leaned harder on the crate, cracking the bones further. “...and I’ll show you fear.” Batman eased up on his leg and knelt down, the cowl inches from his own face. The white eyes narrowed to slits. "Talk."

"The Narrows." His mouth was operating independently now. "There's a guy waiting at the old Axis plant. I toss him the keys and we get paid."

"What guy?"

"What do I care what guy? As long as the money's green.” Spots exploded in front of his eyes; the punch felt like a baseball bat across his face. "Fuck! I don't know who he is, okay? He takes the truck, I take the cash. That's it!" He lay there, curled in a ball, waiting for the next strike, but it never came. He opened his eyes, but the Bat had vanished. It was just him and his bloody comrades lying on the pavement as the police cars peeled toward them, sirens blaring. He laid flat on his back and put his hands on his head.

“No amount of money is worth this.”

 

****************

 

Batman examined the device from the crate by the light of the moon. It was an argon laser - not a weapon; more like something you'd find in a physics lab. What was a gang doing running black market lab equipment through Gotham? It didn't make sense.

"I see you still haven't lost that gentle touch of yours, boss." Batman had known he was there long before now, of course. He heard him moving around on the rooftop while he was still interrogating that thug by the truck. Disappointing, really. He was trained far better than that. Batman didn't even have to turn around to see the smug grin that was surely on the young man's face. He just kept examining the device in his hand.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Or your sense of humor. Geez." Batman turned, and his old partner was leaning up against the wall, cocky as hell, twirling his staff idly in one hand. If this were fifteen years ago, Dick would have been right down there with him, cracking jokes at the goons as Batman squeezed them for information.

"Go back to Blüdhaven. This doesn't concern you."

"Easy, Bats. I was following up on a lead when I came across this. I figured you'd want it back." Nightwing threw the small body between them. The boy struggled angrily at the cable binding his limbs, a hood pulled up over his head. That explained all the noise, anyway. Batman pulled the hood down and removed the gag.

"I've warned you about following me." The boy glared up at him. The lenses in his mask failed to conceal his anger and embarrassment.

"And I've told you that I won't be left behind like a useless child."

"That's enough, Robin! You could have jeopardized the mission." He cut the boy loose with a batarang. "You work for me; you follow my orders. Now, go wait in the car."

"But, Father..."

"Relax, kid. Just do as you're told." Dick couldn't help but smile a little. It reminded him so much of his own fights with the big guy all those years ago.

"Silence, peasant!"

"Peasant? Look, squirt, I'm not..."

"I know exactly who you are, Grayson." That last word dripped with contempt. "You may have been the first to wear this uniform, but that means nothing. You're just afraid to admit what we both know to be true: I'm a better Robin than you ever were!"

"Riiight. That's why you spent your night hogtied on a roof." Batman stepped between them and stared down at his protégé.

"Car. Now." Damian's indignance subsided a bit.

"Yes, Father." He grappled onto the street below, and melted into the shadows.

"Cute kid. He come with a muzzle?" The snark left his voice. "Look, I came here because weird tech has been cropping up all over Blüdhaven, and I tracked it back here." Nightwing pointed to the device in Batman's hand. "Something's up, and I could really use your help."

"We don't work together anymore. You're the one who wanted to be Nightwing instead, remember?”

“Batman…” He pulled his cape around himself, sighing a little.

“The tech is state-of-the-art, but it's research equipment, not weapons. Nothing the gangs would normally concern themselves with. It's obvious that someone else is pulling the strings, but they're covering their tracks. Well. I'm not sure what the endgame is yet.”

“Weird. Maybe you can try to trace the tech back to the manufacturer to see where it's coming from. I can…”

“You can stay out of it. I'm working this case." He pulled out his grapple from his utility belt. "Go home, Dick." As Batman shot into the night, Nightwing scratched the small of his back with the end of his staff.

"Nice seeing you, too, Bruce."


	2. Chapter 2

"This is Vicki Vale live outside the Gotham Museum of Natural History where the gala event of the season is about to get under way. In honor of the landmark's 200th anniversary, the Wayne Foundation is putting on a bash that has attracted nearly every notable figure in Gotham City. After all, everyone knows if Bruce Wayne can do one thing, it's throw a party!

"In just the last few minutes, we've seen Ted Kord of Kord Industries and Oliver Queen of Queen Consolidated, both generous supporters of their own hometowns. Also in attendance are Mayor Hady, the district attorney, Police Commissioner Gordon... rumor has it that invitations were even sent out to members of the Justice League! Though, something tells me that Gotham's own Caped Crusader won't be in attendance. 

"With me now is another world-renowned philanthropist and inventor, billionaire Lex Luthor. Lex, what made you come all the way from Metropolis to support a museum in Gotham City?"

"Miss Vale, what is the purpose of wealth and power if it can't be used to benefit all mankind? My success wasn't built just on the merit of my own genius, but on a strong foundation of science and learning. After all, my dear, what better cause can there possibly be? Sure, I could just as easily write a check from my desk, but unlike some beings who sit in their ivory tower and hoard their power, I have dedicated my life to..."

"I'm so sorry, Lex, but we've just received word that Superman himself is about to arrive! Yes, I can see him - he's just touched down. Superman! Welcome to Gotham City. Has the Justice League officially taken local architecture under its protection along with the rest of mankind?"

"Haha... that's pretty good, Miss Vale, but I'd like to make it clear that I am not here representing the League. Bruce Wayne is a good man and a friend, and I've come to show my support."

"So, the Justice League is not contributing at all to the benefit?"

"Well, as you know, the Justice League is a non-profit humanitarian organization. As a rule, we don't get involved with politics, but I managed to scrape enough together for a plate myself. Excuse me."

"He sure is something, huh? Last but not least we have the man of the hour himself, Gotham's sexiest son, Bruce Wayne!"

"Thanks, Vicki. I love your dress."

"Bruce, you've really pulled out all the stops for this one. Is it true that you paid for the entire evening from your own pocket?"

"Yes, that's true, but tonight isn't about me; it's about saving a beautiful piece of this city's history. I loved coming here with Dad as a kid, and I want to ensure it will be here for at least another two centuries."

"Bruce, you've been Gotham's most eligible bachelor for years. When is someone finally going to make a decent man out of you?"

"I guess when I find the right girl. Say, Vicki, what are you doing tonight? Are you free for dinner?"

"Well, the benefit..."

"I think I know someone who can get you in."

"This is Vicki Vale signing off."

****************

"Where are those damned cigars?" Gordon rifled through his desk. If he was going to work this late, he was going to need one. He popped one in his mouth and struck a match.

"Jim." The sudden voice from behind him startled him out of his chair. "We need to talk."

"Jesus Christ! You know, one of these days you're gonna give an old man a heart attack doing that." He finished lighting his cigar and turned to face the shadow. Batman stepped a little further into the light and tossed a file onto his desk. "What's this?"

"Something I've been working on. Black market tech is being smuggled through Gotham into the Narrows. Multiple gangs involved in the deliveries, but no one seems to know where it's coming from, or where it's headed. I tracked some of it back to several manufacturers: Kord Industries, LexCorp, WayneTech... there doesn't seem to be a pattern... yet."

"Who the hell would want this stuff?" Jim rifled through the file, but most of it went over his head.

"My guess is that someone is setting up a lab close by. Get word to your men. Anything they can find out about this."

"Sure thing. Any idea where we should..." Jim stopped short, realizing he was once again alone in the small office. He chuckled a little to himself. "Every time..." He tossed the file in a drawer and stamped out his cigar. "Merkel! Get in here!"

**Author's Note:**

> All of the characters, locations, etc., are the property of DC Comics. These stories are intended purely for entertainment purposes.


End file.
